As previously reported on The WIDER View, a watch tower (al Zahiya, Zahia, Bright tower, Bright hill), in the Jabal/Jebel Turkman region of Latakia was reportedly captured earlier this week by Western deemed moderate group the 1st Coastal Division, a group vetted by the CIA to receive US TOW missiles.

But on the same day and in the same location, images and videos were released by fundamentalist Sunni Islamic groups Jabhat al Nusrah and Jabhat Ansar al Din showing the capture of the same location.

All apparently worked together to capture the watch tower structure and surrounding area from Syrian Arab Army forces and associated militias.

Videos and images conclusively proving this can be found in a previous post below.

However, following additional research it seems even more groups also assisted in the operation including the Western deemed moderate group the 10th Coastal Division (affiliate of the 1st Coastal Division) and Ansar al Sham, part of the fundamentalist Sunni Islamic group the Islamic Front.

So far at least two Western deemed moderate groups and three fundamentalist Sunni Islamic groups were involved in the assault to take the watch tower and surrounding area in Latakia. These groups are as follows:

This further highlights the complicated situation on the ground, affiliations and cooperation with Western deemed moderate groups and fundamentalist Sunni Islamic groups such as Jabhat al Nusrah (al Qaeda in Syria).

It shows the attempted suppression of facts by the FSA as no mention is made of the role clearly played by fundamentalist Sunni Islamic groups in their report on the capture of the tower. Only the 1st Coastal Division is mentioned, see related post below.

It also exposes the alleged rigorous CIA vetting procedure that allows supplies of aid and US military equipment, including US anti tank missiles, to groups such as the 1st Coastal Division.

This arrangement is based on such groups espousing a moderate, democratic view of Syria’s future yet they appear to contradict this impression by clearly working in direct cooperation with US deemed terrorist organisations.